Healthhttp://www.businessinsider.com/category/health
en-usTue, 03 Mar 2015 19:38:09 -0500Tue, 03 Mar 2015 19:38:09 -0500The latest news on Health from Business Insiderhttp://static3.businessinsider.com/assets/images/bilogo-250x36-wide-rev.pngBusiness Insiderhttp://www.businessinsider.com
http://www.businessinsider.com/mixing-tobacco-and-marijuana-in-blunts-is-dangerous-2015-3Mixing tobacco and marijuana may seem like a good idea, but here's the dangerous truth about bluntshttp://www.businessinsider.com/mixing-tobacco-and-marijuana-in-blunts-is-dangerous-2015-3
Tue, 03 Mar 2015 16:41:00 -0500Dirk Hanson
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/54f6297deab8ea116aa51ec2-1024-768/5356126376_4b2cc1178e_b.jpg" border="0" alt="mini blunt"></p><p>People who smoke a combination of tobacco and marijuana, a common practice overseas for years, and increasingly popular here in the form of "blunts," may be reacting to some unidentified mechanism that links the two drugs.</p>
<p>Researchers believe <strong>such smokers would be well advised to consider giving up both drugs at once, rather than one at a time</strong>, according to an upcoming study in the journal Addiction.</p>
<p>Clinical trials of adults with cannabis use disorders suggest that "approximately 50% are current tobacco smokers," according to the report, which was published in the journal Addiction, and authored by Arpana Agrawal and Michael T. Lynskey of Washington University School of Medicine, with Alan J. Budney of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.</p>
<p>"As many cannabis users smoke a mixture of cannabis and tobacco or chase cannabis use with tobacco, and as conditioned cues associated with smoking both substances may trigger use of either substance," the researchers conclude, "a simultaneous cessation approach with cannabis and tobacco may be most beneficial."</p>
<p>A blunt is simply a marijuana cigar, with the wrapping paper made of tobacco and the majority of loose tobacco removed and replaced with marijuana. In Europe, smokers commonly mix the two substances together and roll the combination into a single joint, the precise ratio of cannabis and nicotine varying with the desires of the user.</p>
<p>“There is accumulating evidence that some mechanisms linking cannabis and tobacco use are distinct from those contributing to co-occurring use of drugs in general,” the investigators say. Or, as psychiatry postdoc Erica Peters of Yale put it in a press release, "There's something about tobacco use that seems to worsen marijuana use in some way."</p>
<p>The researchers believe that this "something" involved may be a genetic predisposition. In addition to an overall genetic proclivity for addiction, do dual smokers inherit a specific propensity for smoked substances? We don't know—but evidence is weak and contradictory so far.</p>
<p><strong><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/54f6320469bedd3c40d23755-1024-1024/5987026343_6d722a6d11_b.jpg" border="0" alt="blunt">Wouldn't it be easier to quit just one drug, using the other as a crutch? The researchers don't think so, and here's why: </strong></p>
<p>In the few studies available, for every dually addicted participant who reported greater aggression, anger, and irritability with simultaneous cessation, "comparable numbers of participants rated withdrawal associated with dual abstinence as less severe than withdrawal from either drug alone." So, for dual abusers, some of them may have better luck if they quit marijuana and cigarettes at the same time. The authors suggest that "absence of smoking cues when abstaining from both substances may reduce withdrawal severity in some individuals."</p>
<p>In other words, revisiting the route of administration, a.k.a. smoking, may trigger cravings for the drug you’re trying to quit. This form of "respiratory adaption" may work in other ways. For instance, the authors note that, "in addition to flavorants, cigarettes typically contain compounds (e.g. salicylates) that have anti-inflammatory and anesthetic effects which may facilitate cannabis inhalation."</p>
<p>Studies of teens diagnosed with cannabis use disorder have shown that continued tobacco used is associated with a poor cannabis abstention rate. But there are fewer studies suggesting the reverse—that cigarette smokers fair poorly in quitting if they persist in cannabis use. No one really knows, and dual users will have to find out for themselves which categories seems to best suit them when it comes time to deal with quitting.</p>
<p>We will pass up the opportunity to examine the genetic research in detail. Suffice to say that while marijuana addiction probably has a genetic component like other addictions, genetic studies have not identified any gene variants as strong candidates thus far. The case is stronger for cigarettes, but to date no genetic mechanisms have been uncovered that definitively show a neurobiological pathway that directly connects the two addictions.</p>
<p>There are all sorts of environmental factors too, of course. Peer influences are often cited, but those influences often seem tautological: Drug-using teens are members of the drug-using teens group. Tobacco users report earlier opportunities to use cannabis, which might have an effect, if anybody knew how and why it happens.</p>
<p><strong>Further complicating matters is the fact that withdrawal from nicotine and withdrawal from marijuana share a number of similarities.</strong> The researchers state that "similar withdrawal syndromes, with many symptoms in common, may have important treatment implications." As the authors sum it up, cannabis withdrawal consists of "anger, aggression or irritability, nervousness or anxiety, sleep difficulties, decreased appetite or weight loss, psychomotor agitation or restlessness, depressed mood, and less commonly, physical symptoms such as stomach pain and shakes/tremors." Others complain of night sweats and temperature sensitivity.</p>
<p>And the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal? In essence, the same. The difference, say the authors, is that cannabis withdrawal tends to produce more irritability and decreased appetite, while tobacco withdrawal brings on an appetite increase and more immediate, sustained craving. Otherwise, the similarities far outnumber the differences.</p>
<p>None of this, however, has been reflected in the structure of treatment programs:</p>
<p>"Emerging evidence suggests that dual abstinence may predict better cessation outcomes, yet empirically researched treatments tailored for co-occurring use are lacking."</p>
<p><strong>The truth is, we don't really know for certain why many smokers prefer to consume tobacco and marijuana in combination.</strong> <strong>But we do know several reasons why it's not a good idea.</strong> Many of the health-related harms are similar, and presumably cumulative: chronic bronchitis, wheezing, morning sputum, coughing—smokers know the drill. Another study cited by the authors found that dual smokers reported smoking as many cigarettes as those who only smoked tobacco. All of this can lead to "considerable elevation in odds of respiratory distress indicators and reduced lung functioning in those who used both." However, there is no strong link at present between marijuana smoking and lung cancer.</p>
<p>Some researchers believe that receptor cross-talk allows cannabis to modify receptors for nicotine, or vice versa. Genes involved in drug metabolism might somehow predispose a subset of addicts to prefer smoking. But at present, there are no solid genetic or environmental influences consistent enough to account for a specific linkage between marijuana addiction and nicotine addiction, or a specific genetic proclivity for smoking as a means of drug administration.</p>
<p><em>Agrawal, A., Budney, A., &amp; Lynskey, M. (2012). The Co-occurring Use and Misuse of Cannabis and Tobacco: A Review. Addiction DOI: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2012.03837.x</em></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/long-term-marijuana-use-effects-on-the-brain-2014-11" >Scientists found something strange when they looked at the brains of stoners</a></strong></p>
<p><strong>DON'T MISS:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-smoking-pot-gives-you-the-munchies-2015-2" >Why smoking weed makes you so hungry</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mixing-tobacco-and-marijuana-in-blunts-is-dangerous-2015-3#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/marijuana-addictive-2014-12">Here's Why Marijuana Is More Addictive These Days</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-remember-names-2015-3The scientific way to remember everyone's namehttp://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-remember-names-2015-3
Tue, 03 Mar 2015 16:25:00 -0500Erin Brodwin
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/54f60cb669beddbf5fd2375b-889-667/women-drinking-wine-on-a-date-9.jpg" border="0" alt="women drinking wine on a date"></p><p></p>
<p>Halfway through your trip on the elevator with your new coworker, you finally admit it to yourself: You forgot her name.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0106698#s4">As a recent </a><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/01/magazine/how-to-remember-peoples-names.html">New York Times Magazine piece</a><a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0106698#s4"> points out,</a> forgetfulness — particularly of the name-specific variety — is fairly common. This time, you might escape with a quick wave-and-nod.</p>
<p>But what about next time?</p>
<p>Thankfully, there's a way to prevent occasionally blanking out on tricky details like names or specific locations. All you have to do is follow a few simple steps.</p>
<h2><strong>Get visual. </strong></h2>
<p>When you meet someone new for the first time, take a picture of the scene with your mind. What is this person wearing? What color is his or her hair? Eyes? Is she or he smiling?</p>
<p>Whether you're aware of it or not, your brain is forming a snapshot of this precise moment as you experience it via a <a href="http://elifesciences.org/content/elife/2/e00312.full.pdf%20">complex process known as encoding</a> — but it's up to you to keep the memory solid so that it's accessible later on. More precisely, you have to trick your brain into storing a memory for the long-term instead of shoveling into the short-term file, where the majority of our memories go to flicker and die.</p>
<p>One of the reasons we forget so frequently, says writer and <a href="http://www.usamemorychampionship.com/">US Memory Champion</a> Joshua Foer <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/joshua_foer_feats_of_memory_anyone_can_do">in a recent TED talk</a>, is because we store so many similar versions of memories.</p>
<p>Think about how many times you've been introduced to a friend-of-a-friend or met a stranger at a party. Your brain has encoded thousands of these memories.</p>
<p>They all start to look the same to your brain, and eventually, they begin to blur.</p>
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/51e9a3f869beddc44200000f-1200-800/the-devil-wears-prada.jpg" border="0" alt="The Devil Wears Prada"></p>
<p><strong>In order to protect a memory and ensure you can recall it later, you have to make it distinguishable from the rest.</strong></p>
<p>If you remember that the person you just met had striking white hair and was wearing a red dress, for example, you're more likely to separate that memory from a pile of semi-recollected visions of rushed handshakes, awkward hugs, and clinking glasses.</p>
<h2>Look at their eyes.</h2>
<p>Sure, you glanced at the person you just met, but did you really pay attention to his or her eyes?</p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/cogpsy/2007/0/2007_0_156/_article">2007 study</a> in which researchers tracked the eye movements of volunteers as they looked at new faces found that those who better remembered the names linked with those faces also tended to spend more time gazing at the strangers' eyes than at other parts of their face or head.</p>
<h2>Get creative.</h2>
<p>To strengthen the connection between someone's face (which you can usually remember) and his or her name, create subtle, creative, reminders for yourself. Say you just met a Tom, for instance. The word "Tom" makes you think of "Tomcat." <em>Come to think of it, Tom does look a little cat-like</em>, you think to yourself. The next time you see Tom, you'll remember Tomcat (and you'll hopefully remember to just call him Tom).</p>
<p>Foer mentions using this technique <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/joshua_foer_feats_of_memory_anyone_can_do">in his TED talk</a> when he points out that people are more likely to remember that someone they've just met is a baker than that their last name is Baker.</p>
<p>"The entire art of remembering stuff better in everyday life," <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/joshua_foer_feats_of_memory_anyone_can_do">Foer says in the talk</a>, "is figuring out ways to transform capital B Bakers into lower-case B bakers —to take information that is lacking in context, in significance, in meaning and transform it in some way so that it becomes meaningful in the light of all the other things that you have in your mind."</p>
<h2><strong>Get emotional.</strong></h2>
<p>Don't worry — there's no need to shed any tears. Establishing an emotional connection to the person or object you're trying to remember can help you recall them (or it) later.</p>
<p>In a recent <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21617025">review</a>, Harvard and MIT scientists studied how people performed on different types of memory tests, from recalling hundreds of photos to remembering the color of a few simple squares drawn on a computer.</p>
<p><strong>They found that people were consistently better at recalling photos — even if they were supposed to remember far more of them — than random shapes and colors.</strong></p>
<p>With the photographs, they were able to link what they saw with their own personal feelings or memories. A photograph of a roller coaster, for example, might prompt some to remember the thrill or fear of their first ride. This sense of meaningfulness helped them solidify the memory in their brains. Looking at a simple pink square, by contrast, just couldn't compete.</p>
<h2>Cheat.</h2>
<p>If you can, get ahold of a new person's name before you meet them. A <a href="http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/jocn_a_00036#.VPYc4lPF8y9">2011 study</a> found that<strong> people were significantly better at learning the names of strangers when they saw the names ahead of time. </strong></p>
<p>As University of Massachusetts Amherst professor of psychology Susan Krauss Whitbourne <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201210/the-one-social-skill-can-change-your-life">writes in a post for Psychology Today</a>, "knowing the name first gives you an anchor that you can use later to associate with the person's face."</p>
<h2><strong>Focus, focus, focus.</strong></h2>
<p>When's the last time you were introduced to an important person in the middle of a crowded party? Were you focused solely on searing an image of the new person into your brain, or were you shaking hands while simultaneously trying to wave at a distant friend in the back of the room, keep an eye on the cute gentleman in the corner, and pick up your refilled glass of wine?</p>
<p>If you're like most people, you probably found yourself in the latter scenario. And as a result, you also probably forgot the person's name by the time he or she walked away.</p>
<p><strong>When you don't focus, your brain doesn't get the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Memory-Alan-Baddeley/dp/1848720017">chance to store, or encode,</a> a </strong><strong>memory properly.</strong> As a result, when you try to access the information stored there later, you can't, because it was never really there in the first place.</p>
<p>To avoid this the next time you shake hands or say hello, concentrate. You'll give your brain a better chance at properly forming the memory so you're more likely to be able to access it later.</p><p><strong>UP NEXT:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-learn-in-your-sleep-2014-10" >3 things you can literally learn in your sleep</a></strong></p>
<p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-improve-memory-2014-12" >Here's why you lose your keys — and how to never do it again</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-remember-names-2015-3#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tips-for-remembering-peoples-names-memory-hacks-2015-1">How to remember people's names</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/jimmy-kimmel-on-vaccination-2015-3Jimmy Kimmel swiftly shut down the entire anti-vaccination communityhttp://www.businessinsider.com/jimmy-kimmel-on-vaccination-2015-3
Tue, 03 Mar 2015 10:01:00 -0500Caroline Moss
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/54f5c9c269bedd593fd23757-551-413/jimmy-kimmel-20.png" border="0" alt="Jimmy Kimmel"></p><p>Jimmy Kimmel spent much of his show last week addressing anti-vaxxers, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgpfNScEd3M&amp;t=47">encouraging his massive audience to take vaccinating their kids seriously</a> and cracking jokes about how if you think you know more than doctors, you're not allowed to visit medical professionals anymore.</p>
<p><span>When the anti-vaxxers lashed out in response, Kimmel took the opportunity to address them again — this time, in a monologue that absolutely shuts them down.</span></p>
<p>"You probably aren't going to take medical advice from a talk-show host," <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgpfNScEd3M&amp;t=47">Kimmel said on his show Friday,</a> "but I do expect you to take it from ... almost every doctor in the world. <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The thing about doctors is that they didn't learn about the human body from their friends' Facebook pages."</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">His monologue was met with roaring laughter and applause, and followed up with a video made up of real doctors explaining why they believe in vaccinations.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"There is no reason not to vaccinate your kids," one doctor said, "which is why I can't f---ing believe we have to make this PSA."</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The anti-vaxxer tweets started rolling in.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/54f5c7beecad04d66e38ff49-604-448/screen%20shot%202015-03-03%20at%209.38.54%20am.png" border="0" alt="Jimmy Kimmel"><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/54f5c7be69bedd573dd23755-565-441/screen%20shot%202015-03-03%20at%209.38.11%20am.png" border="0" alt="Jimmy Kimmel"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/54f5c7be69bedd393ad2375a-556-442/screen%20shot%202015-03-03%20at%209.38.28%20am.png" border="0" alt="Jimmy Kimmel"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/54f5c7be6da811fc6edf0cf2-568-441/screen%20shot%202015-03-03%20at%209.37.58%20am.png" border="0" alt="Jimmy Kimmel"><br></span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Kimmel addressed these tweets and more on his show Monday, sending his "community activists" out to the street to protest that it should be "a child's right to choose" whether to be vaccinated.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">As you can expect, the results of the public mockery were pretty hilarious.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Kimmel capped off the proclamation with a bang: "I am not presenting both sides of the [anti-vaccination] argument just like I wouldn't present the argument that pancakes make you gay. They don't." </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Watch the full videos below. The first is from the February 27 show, and the follow-up is from March 2 show. </span></p>
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<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-andrew-wakefield-2015-2" >Blame the anti-vaccine hysteria on this guy</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jimmy-kimmel-on-vaccination-2015-3#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-headphones-tricks-2015-2">14 things you didn't know your iPhone headphones could do</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/why-you-should-be-using-coconut-oil-2015-211 wonderful things you can do with coconut oilhttp://www.businessinsider.com/why-you-should-be-using-coconut-oil-2015-2
Sun, 01 Mar 2015 15:37:00 -0500Megan Willett
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><img style="float:right;" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/54ee1462ecad04c87703c985-1200-924/coconut-oil-2.jpg" border="0" alt="coconut oil">Three years ago, my best friend started using coconut oil after reading about it on <a href="http://jennamarblesblog.com/this/">YouTube star Jenna Marble’s blog</a>.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">She could not stop raving about it: “It’s a make up remover! It’s a moisturizer! It’s a leave-in conditioner!”</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">So I bought a jar, and I haven’t stopped using it since.</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">For those who don’t know, coconut oil is a sort of waxy solid at room temperature that becomes oily when it’s heated up in your hands or if it’s been sitting in a hot room.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Essentially, coconut oil is a sort of Holy Grail of natural products that is good for your skin, hair, nails, cooking, wood polish, dog care, and more.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">These are 11 things this cheap, natural product can do:</span></strong><a href="http://everydayroots.com/coconut-oil-uses"><br></a></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>1. Moisturizer: </strong>Whether it’s on your face, body, or hands, coconut oil is a fantastic moisturizer. Rub a little bit between your hands and it will instantly become an oil that you can rub all over. Though it’s greasy at first, it will quickly absorb into your skin and nails.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>2. Make up remover:</strong> Put on coconut oil all over your face before wiping it off with a towel or wipe. It’s one of the most effective make up removers I’ve ever used.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>3. Acne:</strong> Coconut oil has antibacterial properties which can help with acne break outs. Whenever I’m using it, I notice I get less of those tiny pimples on my face.</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>4. Treating infections/bug bites/bruises: </strong><a href="http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/food-nutrition/facts/benefits-of-coconut-oil.htm">Coconut oil has Monolaurin</a>, which is said to be good for fighting bug bites. It also has anti-fungal properties and many natural health websites say that it can help with scratches, bug bites, infections, and even to help alleviate bruises.<a href="http://everydayroots.com/coconut-oil-uses"><br></a></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>5. Body scrub:</strong> Some beauty bloggers <a href="http://newleafwellness.biz/2013/10/02/homemade-coconut-oil-sugar-scrubs/">add white or brown sugar to their coconut oil</a> for a make-your-own body scrub. Though I’ve never tried it, it sounds incredible (and cheaper than expensive name-brand alternatives).</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>6. Leave-in conditioner: </strong>When my friends have been introduced to coconut oil, this is one of the first things they’ll try. Coating your hair in coconut oil and letting it rest for 10-20 minutes will let follicles soak up as much moisture as possible. The result is shiny, thick, and very soft hair (just make sure you really rinse out all the greasy oil).</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1" style="line-height: 1.5em;"><strong>7. Shaving cream: </strong>I know a woman who keeps a jar in her shower and will use the oil to shave her legs. Not only is it very nourishing, but the water will roll right off the oil so it keeps protecting your skin while you shave.</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>8. Cooking oil: </strong>If you’re using coconut oil for beauty as well as for cooking, I’d recommend keeping one jar in the bathroom and second jar in the kitchen. Coconut oil is good in replace of any other cooking oil and YouTube star Jenna Marbles freezes it into ice cube trays to use in smoothies. It can also be used to <a href="http://laurenconrad.com/blog/2014/04/odds-ends-5-amazing-uses-for-coconut-oil/">replace butter</a>.</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>9. Energy boost and health supplement: </strong>Many health blogs claim that coconut oil is also a <a href="http://everydayroots.com/coconut-oil-uses">natural energy boost</a> that will also keep you full for longer. Though I can’t speak to this, I’ve heard other people truly rely on it as a part of their diet.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>10. Wood/leather/metal polish: </strong>Simply take a little bit of coconut oil, and rub it into your table, scuffed leather goods, or any metal surface. Buff with a cloth to a shine. Easy.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><strong style="line-height: 1.5em;">11. Pet care:</strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> Whether it’s for a dry nose, cracked paws, or coat conditioner, coconut oil is a natural product to use for conditioning your pets. It’s also safe for them to eat so you won’t worry if they lick it off (some pet owners even purposefully <a href="http://wellnessmama.com/13700/benefits-coconut-oil-pets/">put it into pet food</a>).&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Those are just a few of the uses for coconut oil — some health blogs have <a href="http://everydayroots.com/coconut-oil-uses">over a hundred things you can do with it</a>. </span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><strong>So now,</strong> </span><strong style="line-height: 1.5em;">here’s what to buy:&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p><span class="s1">For beauty uses, look for unrefined, virgin coconut oil (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bronners-Fresh-pressed-Virgin-Coconut-Unrefined/dp/B0052AIF00">this is what I use</a>). If you’re cooking, <a href="https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/oils/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html">refined coconut oil is best</a>.&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">You can pick up a substantial jar that will last for months from any organic grocery store such as Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. It’s pretty cheap, and shouldn’t cost more than $10. If you’re paying over $10 for coconut oil, you’re doing something wrong.</span></p><p><strong>DON'T FORGET:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.facebook.com/Businessinsider.Life" >Follow Business Insider's Life on Facebook!</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-you-should-be-using-coconut-oil-2015-2#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/rival-armed-gangs-fighting-in-china-video-2015-2">Watch 2 armed gangs fight on a busy road in China</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/is-cholesterol-in-eggs-bad-for-you-2015-2Why you shouldn't worry about the massive amount of cholesterol in eggshttp://www.businessinsider.com/is-cholesterol-in-eggs-bad-for-you-2015-2
Sun, 01 Mar 2015 12:28:00 -0500Kevin Loria
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/54ebae16eab8ea756e5bc62c-600-/eggs-benedict.jpg" border="0" alt="eggs benedict" width="600"></p><p>Eggs are the most versatile of foods.</p>
<p>By themselves, they can be breakfast — fried, scrambled, poached, boiled, as an omelette, and more — those also work as lunch or dinner.</p>
<p>And an egg makes a brilliant addition to almost any meal. Put one on a pizza or a cheeseburger, drop one in a bowl of ramen, or stir one up into a plate of pasta. You can even dye them, hide them, and turn them into a children's game. How cool.</p>
<p>But eggs are loaded with cholesterol, and high levels of a certain type of blood cholesterol are associated with a higher risk of heart disease and stroke.</p>
<p>Does this mean you should avoid those delicious yolks? Not exactly.</p>
<p><a href="http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/118?fgcd=&amp;manu=&amp;lfacet=&amp;format=&amp;count=&amp;max=35&amp;offset=&amp;sort=&amp;qlookup=01129">There's about</a> 186 milligrams of cholesterol in one egg. The <a href="http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2010/DietaryGuidelines2010.pdf">last official dietary guidelines</a> for Americans recommended consuming less than 300mg a day of cholesterol (which is also found in red meat, poultry, and dairy products — anything that comes from animals). When the medical establishment first started to crack down on fat, <a href="http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2015/02/understanding-the-new-science-of-cholesterol.html">they told people to try not to have</a> more than two eggs a week.</p>
<p>While many have reacted to cholesterol-avoidance recommendations by avoiding eggs altogether or sticking to tasteless egg white-only travesties of real food, these underwhelming alternatives can now be avoided like the supermarket carton that was clearly dropped (always check): eggs are back.</p>
<h2>A big comeback for eggs</h2>
<p>Some of the top nutrition experts in the country released a massive report last week that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/new-dietary-guidelines-for-americans-2015-2">explains the latest in nutrition science</a>. This report will be used to update the national dietary recommendations, and while there are various changes of interest, the relevant one here is this: they recommend removing dietary cholesterol from the list of "nutrients of concern," since <a href="http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.e8539">a growing body</a> of <a href="http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=189529">research shows</a> that for the vast majority of people, dietary cholesterol (from foods you eat) doesn't really have much of an effect on blood cholesterol.</p>
<p><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/540aed8e6bb3f76863d9be70-800-1067/egg-cholesterol-light.jpg" border="0" alt="egg cholesterol"></p>
<p>In other words, even though eggs have a ton of cholesterol, eating them will most likely not raise your own blood cholesterol levels — we say "most likely" because there is a very small percentage of the population that is more affected by dietary cholesterol, as Walter Willet, a Harvard nutrition scientist, <a href="http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2015/02/understanding-the-new-science-of-cholesterol.html">tells New York Magazine</a>.</p>
<p>So why did we have this so wrong for a while? One weird aspect is that <a href="http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2015/02/understanding-the-new-science-of-cholesterol.html">some older cholesterol studies</a> tested how rabbits responded to cholesterol — and the answer was very poorly. And despite the fact that many scientists didn't consider rabbits good models for humans in this case, <a href="http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2011/11/15/cholesterol-confusion-and-why-we-should-rethink-our-approach-to-statin-therapy/">at least one prominent researcher still extrapolated these results</a> to humans. But rabbits are herbivores who aren't supposed to consume animals or animal products like eggs, meaning that they weren't a good model for humans in this case.</p>
<p>Humans aren't rabbits (just in case you wondered), and being equipped to digest animals and animal products, we can handle cholesterol.</p>
<p>This doesn't mean that having high levels of "bad," or LDL cholesterol in the blood isn't something to worry about — that's still a sign of increased risk for heart problems. But it means that for most people, it isn't eating things like eggs that's responsible for those problems. Instead, our bodies make that cholesterol. Part of this is determined by genetics, but obesity and a diet high in saturated fat can also increase these blood levels, <a href="http://blog.heart.org/qa-federal-nutrition-panels-advice-dietary-cholesterol/">according to the American Heart Association</a>.</p>
<p>A couple of eggs a day, meanwhile, shouldn't be a problem, according to Willet. Happy almost-Easter.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/new-dietary-guidelines-for-americans-2015-2" >Coffee and egg lovers will be happy with a massive new report on what's actually healthy</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/is-cholesterol-in-eggs-bad-for-you-2015-2#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-men-cheat-affair-love-sex-psychotherapist-2015-1">Research Reveals Why Men Cheat, And It's Not What You Think</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/foods-that-make-up-most-of-the-calories-american-consume-2015-2Disturbing chart shows the 25 foods that make up most of the calories Americans eathttp://www.businessinsider.com/foods-that-make-up-most-of-the-calories-american-consume-2015-2
Sun, 01 Mar 2015 09:05:00 -0500Lauren F Friedman
<p>A cup of broccoli has <a href="https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/foodapedia.aspx">55 calories</a>; a single chocolate-frosted donut has 240. So it's no surprise that vegetables are nowhere to be found on the below list of Americans' top sources of calories.</p>
<p>Coming in at number one? Grain-based desserts, which include "cake, cookies, pie, cobbler, sweet rolls, pastries, and donuts."</p>
<p>The chart shows how many calories an average American child or adult gets from each food group every day. For example, pizza, on average, supplies about 136 calories per day to American children and adolescents.&nbsp;<span>Here are Americans' 25 top sources of calories:</span></p>
<p><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/54ef6d106da811d33ef0c017-902-916/screen shot 2015-02-26 at 1.13.12 pm.png" border="0" alt="calories chart"></p>
<p>The data comes from the 2005-2006 <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/about_nhanes.htm">National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey</a>, which offers a detailed look at a representative sample of 5,000 Americans every year. (The numbers were crunched by <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20869486">researchers at the National Cancer Institute</a>, and the chart was published as part of the <a href="http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2010/DietaryGuidelines2010.pdf">2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans</a>.)</p>
<p>Breads, the analysis found, are a top source of calories, closely trailing bready desserts. Soda and sports drinks are another major calorie-hog in kids and adults, though adults get nearly as many calories from alcoholic beverages as they do from soda. Chicken — a category which includes everything from chicken salad and chicken nuggets to chicken stir fries and patties — is another big one. And we get more daily calories from candy than from eggs.</p>
<p>It's important not to interpret this as a list of the most <em>popular&nbsp;</em>foods&nbsp;— you could eat a lot of celery every day and it probably still would not be a top source of your daily calories. But that's part of what makes this analysis so interesting. For Americans, a huge portion of our calories are coming from processed junk.</p>
<p>By 2000, Americans were already eating an average of <a href="http://www.usda.gov/factbook/chapter2.pdf">24.5% more calories per day</a> than their counterparts in 1970. The largest chunk of that increase (9.5 percentage points) came from grains, mostly refined. Only a tiny fraction — 1.5 percentage points — came from fruits and vegetables.</p><p><strong>READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/41-most-nutritious-fruits-and-vegetables-2014-6" >The 41 most nutritious foods on Earth</a></strong></p>
<p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-lose-weight-and-eat-healthy-2014-12" >Here is the simplest advice for anyone trying to lose weight or eat healthy</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/foods-that-make-up-most-of-the-calories-american-consume-2015-2#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/food-myths-wrong-health-msg-yogurt-2014-12">6 Food Myths That Are Completely Wrong</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/intense-circuit-workout-plank-army-crawlers-push-ups-2015-3Here's an easy fat-burning circuit workout you can do using only a linehttp://www.businessinsider.com/intense-circuit-workout-plank-army-crawlers-push-ups-2015-3
Sun, 01 Mar 2015 08:19:00 -0500CJ Koegel
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<div class="g-ytsubscribe" data-channelid="UCqjZrLs6xIoBSzLvbF_MXZg" data-layout="full" data-count="hidden"></div>
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<p class="embed-spacer"></p>
<p>Here is an awesome circuit workout.</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Do each exercise for 30 seconds and then move to the next exercise with no rest.</span></p>
<ol>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">30 seconds of left leg line hops</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">30 seconds of right leg line hops</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">30 seconds of quick feet</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">30 seconds line walk to push-up</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">30 second plank</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">30 seconds of army crawlers</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">30 seconds of push-ups</span></li>
</ol>
<p>Rest for 1-2 minutes then repeat the circuit 5 times.</p>
<p><em>Video courtesy of CJ Koegel </em></p>
<p><strong>Visit <a href="http://koegelfitness.com/">Koegel Fitness</a> for more customized meal plans and workouts </strong></p>
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Sat, 28 Feb 2015 17:25:00 -0500CARI ROMM
<p><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/54f227ddecad048e4bca3351-1000-667/vitamins-7.jpg" border="0" alt="vitamins"></p><p>In 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt summoned hundreds of scientists, doctors, and food manufacturers to Washington, D.C. to discuss a weapon that would help the U.S. win World War II: vitamins.</p>
<p>“There was this idea of optimization: ‘What do we need to do to optimize Americans’ health, to make sure we have enough pep and vigor to get us through this war?’” said Catherine Price, the author of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781594205040"><em>Vitamania: Our Obsessive Quest for Nutritional Perfection</em></a>. “There were all these rumors that the Nazis were restricting vitamins in their conquered people’s foods and giving their young men vitamin supplements and basically race-building through vitamins.”</p>
<p>Three ideas emerged from the National Nutrition Conference for Defense that still exist today. One was the creation of the Recommended Daily Allowances, the first set of guidelines for how much of each nutrient a person ought to consume.</p>
<p>The other was the practice of enriching the country’s flour supply with vitamins and minerals—particularly, Price said, with thiamin, or vitamin B1: “There was a huge trend with thiamin, the idea that all of America was deficient in thiamin, and, ‘Oh my god, if we don’t put thiamin in flour, then we’re not going to be able to fight the Nazis.’”</p>
<p>The third idea wasn’t new, and wasn’t born from the conference so much as strengthened by it: the notion that vitamins were the key not only to health, but to a state of health-plus, with the ability to boost bodies past sick, past normal, and into something even better.</p>
<p><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/5282a327ecad04cb165f3d4b-1200-750/rtrmlft.jpg" border="0" alt="health food store vitamins natural organic"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">In recent years, researchers have&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/12/experts-decisive-against-multivitamins-stop-wasting-money/282440/">debunked</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">,&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/07/the-vitamin-myth-why-we-think-we-need-supplements/277947/">over</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">&nbsp;and&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/11/are-supplements-killing-you-the-problem-with-vitamins-minerals/248450/">over</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">, the idea that vitamin supplements confer any measureable benefit at all—but still, around&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/166541/half-americans-vitamins-regularly.aspx">half</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">&nbsp;of Americans take them regularly. Together with other dietary supplements, they enjoy a reputation for nutritional power that stretches far beyond their true capabilities.</span></p>
<p>“In the case of religion, we put our faith in gods. And in nutrition, we have vitamins,” Price wrote in her book. “Despite the fact that nearly half of us take vitamins as pills, nearly none of us stop to wonder why—out of all of the thousands of chemicals in food—we revere these particular 13.” Below is a lightly edited transcript of our conversation about the history, the myth, and the staying power of vitamins.</p>
<p><strong>Cari Romm:&nbsp;</strong>What is a vitamin, and how is that different from a dietary supplement?</p>
<p><strong>Catherine Price:&nbsp;</strong>There’s actually only 13 human vitamins: A, D, E, K, C, and the eight B vitamins. But when we use the word vitamin in our everyday speech, we tend to lump in all the other dietary supplements that you could take—things like fish oil or all the herbals and botanicals that you can find if you go into the drugstore or GNC.</p>
<p>In terms of the chemical definition of a vitamin, there actually isn’t one. [Most of those 13] were discovered around the same time, and the word was coined before any of them had been isolated, and it just ended up being such a great word that it stuck around, even after scientists found out that the vitamins actually weren’t all chemically in the same family. But in general, it’s a substance you need in an extremely small amount, usually from your diet, that prevents a specific deficiency.</p>
<p><strong>Romm:&nbsp;</strong>If they aren’t all chemically united, what is it that groups vitamins together?</p>
<p><strong><strong><img class="float_left" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/54f22ad469bedd4968ca3353-1024-768/419584946_c8553b07a6_o.jpg" border="0" alt="vitamins supplements"></strong>Price:&nbsp;</strong>A lot of it is the history. They were discovered because of deficiency diseases—things like scurvy, which is a deficiency of vitamin C, or rickets with D. Or beriberi, which none of us know about now, which was horrible—that’s vitamin B1. And pellagra, which is niacin [B3].</p>
<p>So they were discovered through this process of recognizing the idea of a deficiency disease.</p>
<p>And that was really revolutionary, because there was this idea that you could get sick from something you&nbsp;<em>didn’t&nbsp;</em>have, as opposed to a germ. So scientists started hypothesizing in the early 1900s that there was a group of chemical compounds in food that prevented these diseases.</p>
<p>In 1911, this Polish biochemist, Casimir Funk, suggested that they be called vitamins. So that’s kind of how the concept became established and the word was created, and why they started to get lumped together. It was only after that point that they actually discovered what the substances were.</p>
<p><strong>Romm:&nbsp;</strong>So how did vitamins get from the realm of science to something that consumers were concerned about?</p>
<p><strong>Price:&nbsp;</strong>The first vitamin to actually be chemically isolated didn’t happen until 1926, with thiamin, B1. People suspected [there were] vitamins before then, but they had never separated one entirely from food. But what’s really fascinating is that starting as early as the late 1910s, and early 20s, food marketers started to latch on to this term&nbsp;<em>vitamin&nbsp;</em>as just a really great word. It was inspired by combining the Latin word for life,&nbsp;<em>vita</em>, and&nbsp;<em>amin</em>e, which is the chemical structure that the scientists thought all the vitamins would be proven to be, which they’re not. And so it originally was&nbsp;<em>vitamine</em>, and then the&nbsp;<em>e&nbsp;</em>got chopped off when it became clear that they actually weren’t all amines.</p>
<p>So food marketers recognized that this was a brilliant term, and they started to use it to sell their products. What was particularly appealing about it was that you had these invisible compounds that scientists were increasingly discovering that we need in order to stay alive. But no one knew how to measure them in food, and you couldn’t see them, so you could kind of go crazy with your marketing claims and no one could disprove you. They became this incredibly useful marketing idea.</p>
<p><strong>Romm:&nbsp;</strong>Were vitamins marketed more for their health benefits, or in terms of what would happen if people didn’t get enough of them?</p>
<p><strong>Price:&nbsp;</strong>Both, actually. On the one hand, you had advertisers warning you of what would happen if you were deficient. Some of the early researchers were writing for the popular press, and they would write these terrifying columns saying how your teeth would fall out if you didn’t have enough vitamin C—which is true, but most Americans don’t have scurvy. That’s extreme deficiency. So a lot of it was this fear-mongering, and I thought that was fascinating because we still see it today all the time.</p>
<p>And then there was this flipside, where the idea of optimization started to take hold—if vitamins were necessary to prevent a deficiency in a small amount, then if you had more of them, you’d be like a superhero. So yeah, they were doing both. Vitamins, more than any other dietary chemical, really established that two-sided relationship, where we’re driven both by fear and by the hope that we’ll become superhuman, that we can optimize ourselves if we just eat the right things.</p>
<p><strong>Romm:&nbsp;</strong>So how did “vitamin” become shorthand for “healthy”?</p>
<p><strong>Price:&nbsp;</strong>I think that that started early. The word itself has this aura—it means “life,” but health and life often go together. So I think that’s the reason it appealed so much to food marketers, is that the word itself had that <br>connotation to begin with.<br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/52e81b5c6da811610edbc676-1000-666/3910870989_c24a6ddb77_o.jpg" border="0" alt="children's kids' vitamins dinosaurs dinos multivitamins"></p>
<p>Even Casimir Funk, the guy who came up with that word, thought it was brilliant. He was very into his own creation. And what I found really funny was, if you consider some of the other suggestions of the time—people were saying,</p>
<p>“Oh, we shouldn’t call it a vitamin, we should call it a food hormone, or a food accessory factor.” It’s just funny to think about how our attitude towards these 13 unrelated dietary chemicals would be different if we called them “food accessory factors.” You’d never have ad campaigns or parents insisting that their children have their food accessory factors. It’s just not as catchy.</p>
<p><strong>Romm:&nbsp;</strong>When did companies shift from advertising their foods’ natural vitamin content to advertising how they had fortified their food?</p>
<p><strong>Price:&nbsp;</strong>Well, you couldn’t fortify until you had the ability to make synthetic vitamins that you could add to food. Fortification means adding vitamins in excess of what was already in the food, or adding micronutrients that weren’t there originally. So for example, the vitamin D that you find in milk these days is a synthetic addition, most of the time. You couldn’t do that until you could actually make these synthetic vitamins, and that started happening in the 1920s and 30s. That was when it started to become possible to add vitamins to products and use that as an additional selling point.</p>
<p><strong>Romm:&nbsp;</strong>Did the ability to add vitamins change the way Americans thought about their food?</p>
<p><strong>Price:&nbsp;</strong>I think it did. It made it possible to pass off otherwise really unhealthy products as nutritionally complete or beneficial.</p>
<p>And around the same time that all the stuff with vitamins was happening, you had the expansion of the modern-day processed-food industry and the development of the modern supermarket, which required having products that can be shelf-stable for a really long time and be transported around the country.</p>
<p>The difficult thing is that shelf-stability requires a lot of refinement and processing, and that destroys a lot of a food’s natural vitamins and micronutrients.</p>
<p>So unless you have a way of adding those back in, you’re not going to be able to have those foods as the cornerstone of the population’s diet.</p>
<p>It’s kind of crazy to think that if we didn’t have these synthetic vitamins, Americans would be at risk for things like scurvy or rickets, but it’s actually true.&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">There was a 2011&nbsp;</span><a href="http://jn.nutrition.org/content/141/10/1847.short">study</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">&nbsp;in the&nbsp;</span><em style="line-height: 1.5em;">Journal of Nutrition&nbsp;</em><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">that found a significant percentage of Americans’ vitamins were coming from synthetic sources.</span></p>
<p><strong>Romm:&nbsp;</strong>When did vitamins make the leap from something you could get through food to something you could take as a pill?</p>
<p><strong>Price:&nbsp;</strong>That was also in the 30s. Once it was possible to make the synthetic versions of vitamins and measure them, then you started seeing this idea of supplements become more popular, vitamins as pills as opposed to foods that contain them.</p>
<p><strong>Romm:&nbsp;</strong>So is the popularity of dietary supplements tied to the rise in popularity of vitamins?</p>
<p><strong><img style="float:right;" src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/54f22bb569bedd876aca3351-840-1955/body-7.jpg" border="0" alt="fat body articles diet">Price:&nbsp;</strong>I think they’re profoundly connected. When the dietary-supplement industry really started taking hold in the 1960s and 70s, they started using the word “vitamin” with the public to describe their products.</p>
<p>And that word, the way they used it, represented far more than just vitamins.</p>
<p>It eventually came to represent any substance that you use as a pill to supplement your diet.</p>
<p>The supplement industry managed to launch an enormously successful campaign in the 90s when the FDA was trying to come up with new rules for regulation, and the theme was “Don’t let the government take your vitamins away.”</p>
<p>They weren’t talking about vitamins—they were talking about all these herbals and botanicals and amino acids and all these other things.</p>
<p>But I think that being associated with this halo of vitamins really affected how supplements are regulated.</p>
<p>It gave this aura of health and safety to non-vitamin substances, and made us take their safety as a given without asking any more serious questions.</p>
<p><strong>Romm:&nbsp;</strong>Why are vitamins and dietary supplements regulated differently than food or pharmaceuticals?</p>
<p><strong>Price:&nbsp;</strong>That’s a long story, but in part because of this big industry push to portray them as totally safe.</p>
<p>A law was passed in 1994, called the Dietary Health and Education Act, that separated the way supplements were regulated from the way food or pharmaceuticals or over-the-counter drugs were regulated.</p>
<p>For over-the-counter and pharmaceutical drugs, you need to prove safety and efficacy before you sell anything. For supplements, there’s no requirement like that. And the argument was partially that since vitamins are in food, vitamins should be regulated more like food, which has lower standards of proof before you sell it.</p>
<p>But that’s different from ginkgo biloba or St. John’s wort or bodybuilding powder or whatever else. Those are not vitamins, and so it does seem strange, at least to me, that those non-vitamin products should be regulated like food, or almost more loosely than food, which is what our current system is.</p>
<p><strong>Romm:&nbsp;</strong>How much of this reverence of vitamins is legitimate? How much can they actually do to keep us healthy, or make us healthy-plus?</p>
<p><strong>Price:&nbsp;</strong>At the base of it, we do need those 13 vitamins. If you don’t have enough of them, you’ll die in often quite gruesome ways. Scurvy is a horrible disease. It prevents your body from making collagen, which is the connective tissue that holds your body together, so you sort of fall apart from within—your teeth fall out, your connections all loosen, and you hemorrhage and die. So I think it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that we do need vitamins. And there are a lot of people in the world who don’t have access to them—the latest estimate I read was&nbsp;<a href="http://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/WHO_WFP_UNICEFstatement.pdf">2 billion people</a>&nbsp;[who are vitamin-deficient]. If you give someone vitamin A and they’re suffering from nutritional blindness, which is a stage of vitamin A deficiency, they will regain their sight, often within days. And that’s crazy. It’s like a miracle drug. But it doesn’t translate into the idea that we seem to want to have, which is that if you can cure nutritional blindness with vitamin A, then if you take 17 times that amount in a pill, you’ll be able to see in the dark. The idea that more is better, and more gives you superpowers, is not true.</p>
<p><strong>Romm:&nbsp;</strong>How did that idea emerge, then?</p>
<p><strong>Price:&nbsp;</strong>I think it has a lot to do with the fact that they really are so amazing when you need them—the idea that you can reverse these diseases with these invisible compounds does give them a legitimately miraculous aura. But those facts were used by food marketers to promote a product and then those claims started to go beyond what vitamins could actually do. An interesting example I found was thiamin [vitamin B1], which was enormously trendy in the 20s through the 40s. It started off with legitimate things that B1 is important for or can help with, and then by the 1940s you had ads saying that thiamin could do everything from improving your complexion to improving your energy, which they called “pep,” to giving the country better morale for World War II. There was a claim for these thiamin-rich yeast cakes that said they restored this woman’s ability to walk. So it quickly started to spin out of control, and I think that happens a lot today, too.</p>
<p><strong>Romm:&nbsp;</strong>Why are people so willing to accept these sometimes outrageous claims of what vitamins can do?</p>
<p><strong>Price:&nbsp;</strong>That’s where things can get pretty philosophical, because it doesn’t really make sense on the surface. What I came away with is the idea that we really don’t like uncertainty, especially in terms of our health. And there are so many things about health and life that are terrifying—not just getting sick, but inevitable mortality. So we’re really eager to have some kind of salve against that uncertainty, and vitamins really help play that role.</p>
<p>I think part of that is probably because for the most part, with the exception of vitamin A, too much of a vitamin is not going to kill you. So you’re able to take these pills and feel like you’re doing something, and just feel like you have more of a sense of control over your life and your health than you did before. That sense of control is enormously appealing, and the desire for than control leaves us very susceptible to anyone who promises to provide it to us, in their pill or in their product.</p>
<p><strong style="color: #222222; line-height: 22.5px;">&nbsp;</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-people-came-to-believe-the-myth-that-nutritional-supplements-could-make-them-into-better-healthier-versions-of-themselves-2015-2#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-headphones-tricks-2015-2">14 things you didn't know your iPhone headphones could do</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/doctor-recommended-drinks-day-men-women-2015-2Doctors say women should drink less than men — here's whyhttp://www.businessinsider.com/doctor-recommended-drinks-day-men-women-2015-2
Sat, 28 Feb 2015 15:55:00 -0500Alex Kuzoian and Mike Nudelman
<h3><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/doctor-recommended-drinks-day-men-women-2015-2">Click here to see original story.</a></h3><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/doctor-recommended-drinks-day-men-women-2015-2#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/how-dangerous-different-drugs-are-2015-2The laws on alcohol and marijuana are totally out of sync with the sciencehttp://www.businessinsider.com/how-dangerous-different-drugs-are-2015-2
Sat, 28 Feb 2015 14:02:00 -0500Kevin Loria
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/54ef579e69beddf50e86bccb-600-/marijuana-colorado-16.jpg" border="0" alt="marijuana colorado" width="600"></p><p>If you've had a rough day at work today, you're free to go home and crack open a beer or pour yourself something stronger.</p>
<p>But <span>unless you live in Colorado, Washington State, Alaska, or&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-26/marijuana-legalized-in-u-s-capital-as-officials-thwart-congress">now, the District of Columbia</a>,&nbsp;lighting up a joint could land you in serious trouble with the law.</p>
<p>Despite those restrictions, almost <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/11/05/6-facts-about-marijuana/">70% of Americans believe</a> that marijuana is safer than alcohol — meaning that the health-based justifications for those laws are coming across as pretty flimsy. And according to a recent study published in the <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4311234/">journal Scientific Reports</a>, that 70% of Americans are right in thinking that marijuana is far safer than laws would imply. But the study also showed that alcohol is actually riskier than its legal status would indicate.</p>
<p>In this study, researchers took a new approach to compare marijuana, alcohol, cocaine, heroin, and other drugs. They looked at the amount of the drug a user would normally consume and compared that to the amount of that substance that would kill the average person.</p>
<p>By that standard, marijuana is about 114 times safer than alcohol.</p>
<p>The researchers are quick to point out that they aren't saying marijuana is absolutely safer than alcohol in all contexts, they are just measuring the likelihood of a fatal overdose, not potential mental health problems or chronic risks. There are also other risks to illegal drug usage that aren't counted here, and they aren't comparing drug interactions either. Combining some substances, like alcohol and cocaine, results in a much more dangerous chemical cocktail inside the body than those drugs create alone.</p>
<p>But the researchers say that if policymakers were to use evidence-based approaches to drug policy, they'd find that they had overestimated the risks of cannabis — and underestimated the potential risks of alcohol.</p>
<p>This <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21895824/">isn't the first time a study has found</a> that marijuana is safer than other drugs, the researchers note, though this is the first time that researchers have used this approach, called the "margin of exposure" approach, to compare these substances. This calculation shows the risk of a fatal overdose — nothing more — and even though that leaves out a lot of nuance and complexity, it's a useful way to see how dangerous a substance actually is.</p>
<p>As can be seen in the chart below, for individuals, alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, and heroin are all high risk substances. The lower the margin of exposure, the higher the mortality risk compared to normal intake levels, though the researchers write that the margin of error for heroin could give it a lower score than alcohol for some users.</p>
<p>Other substances like methamphetamine, MDMA (molly or ecstasy), and diazepam (Valium) were medium risk substances, while only marijuana (THC) was low risk.&nbsp;</p>
<p><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/54ef6e816bb3f7a91786bcc9-737-486/srep08126-f1.jpg" border="0" alt="drug chart"></p>
<p>When comparing how harmful these substances were for an entire population, the difference was even more extreme — alcohol is then the only substance that falls into the high risk category. The researchers aren't saying that heroin and cocaine are "safer" than alcohol, just that alcohol's easy accessibility, especially in Europe where the study was conducted, makes it the substance that has the highest risk for the population as a whole.</p>
<p>The researchers write that it's hard to establish exactly how risky some drugs are, as data on illegal drug usage is limited and population-wide data is very incomplete.</p>
<p>Still, for policymakers, they write that their findings about cannabis would support "a strict legal regulatory approach rather than the current prohibition approach."</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/my-experience-with-nuvigil--armodafinil-2015-1" >I tried a drug known as 'Viagra for the brain,' and I'm never taking it again</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-dangerous-different-drugs-are-2015-2#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-headphones-tricks-2015-2">14 things you didn't know your iPhone headphones could do</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/crossfit-upper-body-exercise-workout-2015-23 hardcore exercises to build muscle super-fasthttp://www.businessinsider.com/crossfit-upper-body-exercise-workout-2015-2
Sat, 28 Feb 2015 08:30:00 -0500Alana Kakoyiannis
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<p>CrossFit is a wildly popular core strength and conditioning workout. Here are three exercises <a href="http://www.crossfitsouthbrooklyn.com/">Christian Fox from CrossFit South Brooklyn</a> showed us to improve upper body strength.</p>
<p><em>Produced by Alana Kakoyiannis</em></p>
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Fri, 27 Feb 2015 14:41:43 -0500Kevin Loria
<p><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/54dd23a96da8117f67af7faf-1200-924/img_2290-2.jpg" border="0" alt="pure caffeine"></p><p>We ingest the <a href="http://www.jyi.org/issue/caffeine-understanding-the-worlds-most-popular-psychoactive-drug/">most commonly consumed</a> psychoactive drug in the world in chocolate, soda, and of course, coffee and tea.</p>
<p>In those forms, caffeine is mostly harmless.</p>
<p>It can keep you awake when you need to sleep and it <a href="http://apt.rcpsych.org/content/11/6/432.full">can worsen anxiety</a>, but it's hard to drink enough coffee to really hurt yourself – fatalities <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15935584">have occurred</a> with the amount of caffeine in about 25 cups of coffee. <a href="http://www.caffeineinformer.com/death-by-caffeine">Some</a> other <a href="http://www.compoundchem.com/2014/07/27/lethaldoses/">estimates</a> say it would take the caffeine in 70-120 cups to kill an average person (the amount of caffeine in coffee varies significantly, with normal estimates ranging between 50 and 200 mg).</p>
<p>But in its pure form, caffeine can be deadly, and it's easy to underestimate its power. One teaspoon of pure caffeine contains 5,000 milligrams — the equivalent of 25-50 coffees, or enough to potentially trigger an overdose or even a heart attack.</p>
<p>And in the era of internet shopping, online purchases of pure caffeine have led to tragic consequences. The <a href="http://blogs.fda.gov/fdavoice/index.php/2014/12/tragic-deaths-highlight-the-dangers-of-powdered-pure-caffeine/">FDA wants that</a> to stop.</p>
<p>Pure powdered caffeine is incredibly easy to get — we know, because we purchased half a kilo on the internet.</p>
<p><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/54dd2414eab8eac94e0a6c69-1200-924/img_2244-2.jpg" border="0" alt="Caffeine delivery"></p>
<p><strong>So should that be legal?</strong></p>
<p>We chose <a href="http://purebulk.com/caffeine-powder-synthetic/">one</a> <a href="http://www.bulksupplements.com/caffeine-powder-anhydrous.html?gclid=CP7p24Ol3cMCFUk2gQodyHoAVA">of</a> <a href="http://www.aonevitamins.com/caffeine.htm">the</a> <a href="http://www.total-nutrition.net/product.asp?itemid=2120&amp;gclid=COr36o2o3cMCFYklgQodPJgA7g">many</a> <a href="http://www.a1supplements.com/Powdered-Caffeine-200-Servings-p-23586.html">online</a> <a href="http://www.mysupplementstore.com/nutrakey-caffeine-powder-200mg-40-grams.html">vendors</a> that sell bulk caffeine. You can't find powdered caffeine on Amazon (though they do sell <a href="http://www.amazon.com/ProLab-Caffeine-Maximum-Potency-100-Count/dp/B0011865IQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1423774365&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=caffeine+powder+pure">caffeine pills</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/No-Doz-Strength-Acting-Alertness-Caplets/dp/B000NVNLTS">No-Doz</a>, which are made of the same thing, just in pre-dosed quantities), but the vendor we chose has a good reputation on the nootropics subreddit for selling the actual chemical purchased.</p>
<p>A few days after placing the order, a package arrived, containing one 500g bag of synthetic caffeine and 50g of natural caffeine — all for $29.50, including shipping.</p>
<p><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/54dd24fe6da8113975af7fad-978-998/screen%20shot%202015-02-12%20at%205.10.22%20pm.png" border="0" alt="Pure caffeine">That 500g bag contains as much caffeine as is in 2,500 to 5,000 cups of coffee — or the same as 15,625 <a href="http://www.coca-cola.co.uk/health/caffeine-in-your-can.html">cans of Coca-Cola</a> (or 11,904 Diet Cokes).</p>
<p>The FDA recently issued a <a href="http://www.fda.gov/Food/RecallsOutbreaksEmergencies/SafetyAlertsAdvisories/ucm405787.htm">safety warning</a> about pure caffeine, noting that even in very small amounts, it "may cause accidental overdose." Overdose symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, stupor, disorientation, rapid or dangerously erratic heartbeat, seizures and death.</p>
<p>Michael Taylor, deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine, <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/12/31/371692640/potent-powdered-caffeine-raises-safety-worries">recently told NPR</a> that the FDA has started asked companies to take pure caffeine off the market and that they have "started <a href="http://blogs.fda.gov/fdavoice/index.php/2014/12/tragic-deaths-highlight-the-dangers-of-powdered-pure-caffeine/">building a case</a> to force companies to stop selling powdered caffeine" if those vendors aren't willing to voluntarily stop.</p>
<p>Here's the thing: Recommended doses range between 1/64 and 1/16 of a teaspoon. It's really hard to safely use that amount of caffeine powder, something that most of the companies acknowledge with warning labels (some small, some large).</p>
<p><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/54dd251f69beddf51576731c-1200-924/img_2263-1.jpg" border="0" alt="caffeine scale">Even with a kitchen scale we couldn't measure a safe dose, since its smallest unit of measure was grams and we'd need milligrams.</p>
<p>Without a milligram scale — not a common tool — there's actually no way to accurately measure a safe dose.</p>
<p>Even if you were trying to be careful, it'd be easy to take too much. I'm accustomed to quite a lot of caffeine, yet just tasting a tiny amount of the powder left me feeling like I'd had about four coffees. (Of course, part of those effects could have been psychosomatic.)</p>
<p>In a certain sense, the appeal is clear — it's a cheap way to get caffeine into your system, and it's not accompanied by any of the sugar or other unhealthy ingredients in soda. But should it be so easy to buy something that's so risky?</p>
<p>The FDA doesn't think so, and many other people think it's <a href="http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Regulation/Senators-urge-FDA-to-ban-retail-sale-marketing-of-pure-caffeine">dangerous and unreasonable</a> for it to be legal.</p>
<p>Yet at the same time, there's an argument that <a href="http://www.npainfo.org/NPA/About_NPA/Leadership/NPA/AboutNPA/Leadership.aspx?hkey=5d091ba0-ffd7-460e-8d62-5534843a71df">Daniel Fabricant</a>, executive director of the Natural Products Association (an industry group), <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/12/31/371692640/potent-powdered-caffeine-raises-safety-worries">expressed to NPR</a>. "It is the dosage that makes anything a poison," he said, paraphrasing a common saying among toxicologists. "Take water... [or] salt for example — if you use too much, it creates problems. I think that's really the issue here. People safely use caffeine every day."</p>
<p>That argument comes across as somewhat disingenuous — it's much easier to take a fatal dose of pure caffeine than any of those other things. But there are other substances that we can purchase legally that are toxic, like liquid nicotine or <a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002488.htm">various cleaning products</a>. Still, this might be the most toxic thing we have access to (per dose) that's meant for human consumption. (Rat poison, for example, is also highly toxic, but no one is blending a scoop into a post-workout smoothie.)</p>
<p>There isn't much regulation of supplements in general. Frequently, the FDA <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-four-retailers-pull-some-dietary-aids-off-shelves-after-probe-2015-2">has no idea whether a supplement actually contains</a> what people say it does, so regulating the sale of pure caffeine would be a big change.</p>
<p>It's not far-fetched to argue that our society wouldn't exist without caffeine. Indeed, Harvard neuroscientist <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0501/feature1/">Charles Czeisler thinks</a> that along with the electric light, caffeine helped usher in the modern industrial era, and that we wouldn't have adapted to these clock-set work cycles that "allow" us to work all hours without it.</p>
<p>So it's powerful enough to change the world. Perhaps we don't need to be buying it in pure form by the bagful.</p>
<p><strong>NOW WATCH:</strong> <strong>Unboxing the pure caffeine powder</strong></p>
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<p class="embed-spacer"></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/should-you-eat-a-low-fat-diet-2015-2" >We should never have told people to stop eating fat</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/buying-pure-powdered-caffeine-off-the-internet-2015-2#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/r-going-to-the-game-pack-earplugs-and-lose-the-vuvuzela-who-says-2015-2Sports fans are at risk of going deafhttp://www.businessinsider.com/r-going-to-the-game-pack-earplugs-and-lose-the-vuvuzela-who-says-2015-2
Fri, 27 Feb 2015 08:20:00 -0500Tom Miles
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/54f064ab5afbd37e6b8b456e-450-300/going-to-the-game-pack-earplugs-and-lose-the-vuvuzela-who-says.jpg" border="0" alt="A young Japan soccer supporter plays the vuvuzela before the international friendly soccer match between Japan and Ivory Coast in Sion June 4, 2010. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse "></p><p>GENEVA (Reuters) - Sports fans risk having their hearing ruined by vuvuzela trumpets and deliberate attempts to increase stadium noise and they need to start seeing earplugs as something cool, the World Health Organization said on Friday.</p>
<p>Shelly Chadha, a WHO expert on preventing deafness, said some U.S. sporting crowds consider breaking noise levels as an achievement, and cited a 136.6 decibel world record claimed by Seattle Seahawks fans in 2013.</p>
<p>"Anybody who is exposed to 136 dB for even a minute is going to face some consequences," she told a news conference.</p>
<p>Vuvuzelas, the blaring plastic trumpets that became the icon of 2010 soccer World Cup in South Africa, can have a sound intensity level of 120 dB - unsafe for more than 9 seconds a day.</p>
<p>Asked if they should be banned, Chadha said: "Yes, well, vuvuzelas are certainly something we can live without."</p>
<p>Around 1.1 billion young people are at risk from hearing loss, the WHO said, in addition to about 180 million who have already suffered preventable damage to their hearing.</p>
<p>As well as sporting events, there are risks to hearing at nightclubs and from listening to smartphones, and the solutions include volume limits, noise-cancelling headphones and earplugs, which can reduce noise levels by 30 decibels, turning the roar of a fighter jet into little more than a hair dryer.</p>
<p>The damage is irreversible, although there may be some hope from research into stem cells and into some fish that can regenerate hearing cells, Chadha said.</p>
<p>"At the point when you can't understand conversation around you, you know that this is too loud," said Chadha.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>(Reporting by Tom Miles; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-going-to-the-game-pack-earplugs-and-lose-the-vuvuzela-who-says-2015-2#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/end-fall-demise-mayan-civilization-new-evidence-2015-1">Scientists Discovered What Actually Wiped Out The Mayan Civilization</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/r-data-from-largest-us-tobacco-study-shows-high-use-of-multiple-products-2015-2Data from the largest US tobacco study show a lot of smokers use multiple productshttp://www.businessinsider.com/r-data-from-largest-us-tobacco-study-shows-high-use-of-multiple-products-2015-2
Fri, 27 Feb 2015 00:17:00 -0500Toni Clarke
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5213730feab8eacf6d000016-1200-924/cigarette-smoker.jpg" border="0" alt="cigarette smoker"></p><p>(Reuters) - Preliminary results from the largest U.S. survey of tobacco consumption show a high number of people use multiple products, adding key data to the debate on the role of e-cigarettes in reducing harm from tobacco.</p>
<p>The results of the study, released Thursday, showed 40 percent of tobacco consumers use multiple products, such as cigarillos, hookah and cigars. Half of all combinations involved e-cigarettes.</p>
<p>The Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study of 46,000 people, begun in 2011, is designed to answer questions about the tobacco use and behavior and help shape industry regulation.</p>
<p>Public health officials have long questioned whether smokers attracted to e-cigarettes will use them to quit smoking or simply as an alternative for use in places where smoking is not allowed.</p>
<p>Data released on Thursday did not give definitive insight about why people are using different forms of tobacco. Andrew Hyland, scientific principal investigator on the study and chair of the department of health behavior at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, said they may be transitioning away from cigarettes, or they may be becoming more entrenched.</p>
<p>The study is expected to provide a wealth of information about tobacco use, smoking behavior and attitudes and will give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration data to reshape industry regulations.</p>
<p>"We were struck by the proportion of users that engaged in polyuse," Mitch Zeller, head of the Food and Drug Administration's tobacco division, said in an interview, referring to the use of multiple products.</p>
<p>Preliminary results were presented to an audience of scientists, researchers and industry representatives at the annual meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco in Philadelphia.</p>
<p>The most common combination of products among youth and adults was cigarettes and e-cigarettes, data showed.</p>
<p>The results, to be gathered and disclosed over years, are expected to provide for tobacco the type of information that the decades-long Framingham Heart Study has provided about heart disease and its impact on public health.</p>
<p>Although the information about multi-product use is a start, more time will be needed to identify the reasons for such use, study organizers said.</p>
<p>"Is it a step towards people quitting, or are the hooks of nicotine just getting deeper," said Hyland.</p>
<p>The tobacco industry is rapidly changing with the popularity of electronic nicotine devices.</p>
<p>"The evolution that has taken place in the marketplace makes your head spin," Zeller said.</p>
<p>(Editing by Ken Wills)</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-data-from-largest-us-tobacco-study-shows-high-use-of-multiple-products-2015-2#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/end-fall-demise-mayan-civilization-new-evidence-2015-1">Scientists Discovered What Actually Wiped Out The Mayan Civilization</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/how-dangerous-different-drugs-are-2015-2The laws on alcohol and marijuana are totally out of sync with the sciencehttp://www.businessinsider.com/how-dangerous-different-drugs-are-2015-2
Thu, 26 Feb 2015 15:10:00 -0500Kevin Loria
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/54ef579e69beddf50e86bccb-600-/marijuana-colorado-16.jpg" border="0" alt="marijuana colorado" width="600"></p><p>If you've had a rough day at work today, you're free to go home and crack open a beer or pour yourself something stronger.</p>
<p>But <span>unless you live in Colorado, Washington State, Alaska, or&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-26/marijuana-legalized-in-u-s-capital-as-officials-thwart-congress">now, the District of Columbia</a>,&nbsp;lighting up a joint could land you in serious trouble with the law.</p>
<p>Despite those restrictions, almost <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/11/05/6-facts-about-marijuana/">70% of Americans believe</a> that marijuana is safer than alcohol — meaning that the health-based justifications for those laws are coming across as pretty flimsy. And according to a recent study published in the <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4311234/">journal Scientific Reports</a>, that 70% of Americans are right in thinking that marijuana is far safer than laws would imply. But the study also showed that alcohol is actually riskier than its legal status would indicate.</p>
<p>In this study, researchers took a new approach to compare marijuana, alcohol, cocaine, heroin, and other drugs. They looked at the amount of the drug a user would normally consume and compared that to the amount of that substance that would kill the average person.</p>
<p>By that standard, marijuana is about 114 times safer than alcohol.</p>
<p>The researchers are quick to point out that they aren't saying marijuana is absolutely safer than alcohol in all contexts, they are just measuring the likelihood of a fatal overdose, not potential mental health problems or chronic risks. There are also other risks to illegal drug usage that aren't counted here, and they aren't comparing drug interactions either. Combining some substances, like alcohol and cocaine, results in a much more dangerous chemical cocktail inside the body than those drugs create alone.</p>
<p>But the researchers say that if policymakers were to use evidence-based approaches to drug policy, they'd find that they had overestimated the risks of cannabis — and underestimated the potential risks of alcohol.</p>
<p>This <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21895824/">isn't the first time a study has found</a> that marijuana is safer than other drugs, the researchers note, though this is the first time that researchers have used this approach, called the "margin of exposure" approach, to compare these substances. This calculation shows the risk of a fatal overdose — nothing more — and even though that leaves out a lot of nuance and complexity, it's a useful way to see how dangerous a substance actually is.</p>
<p>As can be seen in the chart below, for individuals, alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, and heroin are all high risk substances. The lower the margin of exposure, the higher the mortality risk compared to normal intake levels, though the researchers write that the margin of error for heroin could give it a lower score than alcohol for some users.</p>
<p>Other substances like methamphetamine, MDMA (molly or ecstasy), and diazepam (Valium) were medium risk substances, while only marijuana (THC) was low risk.&nbsp;</p>
<p><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/54ef6e816bb3f7a91786bcc9-737-486/srep08126-f1.jpg" border="0" alt="drug chart"></p>
<p>When comparing how harmful these substances were for an entire population, the difference was even more extreme — alcohol is then the only substance that falls into the high risk category. The researchers aren't saying that heroin and cocaine are "safer" than alcohol, just that alcohol's easy accessibility, especially in Europe where the study was conducted, makes it the substance that has the highest risk for the population as a whole.</p>
<p>The researchers write that it's hard to establish exactly how risky some drugs are, as data on illegal drug usage is limited and population-wide data is very incomplete.</p>
<p>Still, for policymakers, they write that their findings about cannabis would support "a strict legal regulatory approach rather than the current prohibition approach."</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/my-experience-with-nuvigil--armodafinil-2015-1" >I tried a drug known as 'Viagra for the brain,' and I'm never taking it again</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-dangerous-different-drugs-are-2015-2#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-headphones-tricks-2015-2">14 things you didn't know your iPhone headphones could do</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/foods-that-make-up-most-of-the-calories-american-consume-2015-2Disturbing chart shows the 25 foods that make up most of the calories Americans eathttp://www.businessinsider.com/foods-that-make-up-most-of-the-calories-american-consume-2015-2
Thu, 26 Feb 2015 14:41:00 -0500Lauren F Friedman
<p>A cup of broccoli has <a href="https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/foodapedia.aspx">55 calories</a>; a single chocolate-frosted donut has 240. So it's no surprise that vegetables are nowhere to be found on the below list of Americans' top sources of calories.</p>
<p>Coming in at number one? Grain-based desserts, which include "cake, cookies, pie, cobbler, sweet rolls, pastries, and donuts."</p>
<p>The chart shows how many calories an average American child or adult gets from each food group every day. For example, pizza, on average, supplies about 136 calories per day to American children and adolescents.&nbsp;<span>Here are Americans' 25 top sources of calories:</span></p>
<p><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/54ef6d106da811d33ef0c017-902-916/screen shot 2015-02-26 at 1.13.12 pm.png" border="0" alt="calories chart"></p>
<p>The data comes from the 2005-2006 <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/about_nhanes.htm">National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey</a>, which offers a detailed look at a representative sample of 5,000 Americans every year. (The numbers were crunched by <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20869486">researchers at the National Cancer Institute</a>, and the chart was published as part of the <a href="http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2010/DietaryGuidelines2010.pdf">2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans</a>.)</p>
<p>Breads, the analysis found, are a top source of calories, closely trailing bready desserts. Soda and sports drinks are another major calorie-hog in kids and adults, though adults get nearly as many calories from alcoholic beverages as they do from soda. Chicken — a category which includes everything from chicken salad and chicken nuggets to chicken stir fries and patties — is another big one. And we get more daily calories from candy than from eggs.</p>
<p>It's important not to interpret this as a list of the most <em>popular&nbsp;</em>foods&nbsp;— you could eat a lot of celery every day and it probably still would not be a top source of your daily calories. But that's part of what makes this analysis so interesting. For Americans, a huge portion of our calories are coming from processed junk.</p>
<p>By 2000, Americans were already eating an average of <a href="http://www.usda.gov/factbook/chapter2.pdf">24.5% more calories per day</a> than their counterparts in 1970. The largest chunk of that increase (9.5 percentage points) came from grains, mostly refined. Only a tiny fraction — 1.5 percentage points — came from fruits and vegetables.</p><p><strong>READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/41-most-nutritious-fruits-and-vegetables-2014-6" >The 41 most nutritious foods on Earth</a></strong></p>
<p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-lose-weight-and-eat-healthy-2014-12" >Here is the simplest advice for anyone trying to lose weight or eat healthy</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/foods-that-make-up-most-of-the-calories-american-consume-2015-2#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/food-myths-wrong-health-msg-yogurt-2014-12">6 Food Myths That Are Completely Wrong</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/need-more-dementia-drug-research-2015-2People are living longer and dementia cases are rising — here’s what we should do about ithttp://www.businessinsider.com/need-more-dementia-drug-research-2015-2
Thu, 26 Feb 2015 11:57:00 -0500Ara Darzi
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/54ef4b7f6da811d954f0c016-1020-612/research-lab-008.jpg" border="0" alt="dementia drug"></p><p>The ageing of societies across the world is a testament to progress. But as we grow older, the risk of mental as well as physical decline increases. Dementia affects one in five people over 80 and its global prevalence is doubling every 20 years. To confront this challenge we need more than scientific brilliance. We need a new approach to the funding and regulation of research.</p>
<p>Next month (3-4 March) the World Health Organisation will set out its priorities for research into the degenerative brain disease at the <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;ved=0CCMQFjAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.who.int%2Fnmh%2Fconference-on-dementia-march2015-concept-note.pdf&amp;ei=WHfrVM63BNPlao-OgbgN&amp;usg=AFQjCNH-h_TDO9nCdaIR7BCREh85-gqDSA&amp;sig2=xcM7EdFOtY3CFJ9X8Mel7Q&amp;bvm=bv.86475890,d.d2s" rel="nofollow">first ministerial conference on global action against dementia</a> in Geneva.</p>
<p>It follows David Cameron's announcement in the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/dec/02/dementia-fund-autumn-statement">Autumn Statement</a> last December of a £15m down-payment by the UK government to help fund the battle against what the prime minister described as "one of the greatest enemies of humanity."</p>
<p>The scale of the challenge is laid bare in a <a href="http://wish-qatar.org/media-center/press-release-details?item=138&amp;backArt=331" rel="nofollow">report</a> published this month which shows that while the disease burden mounts inexorably, the search for effective treatments is sinking into the sand.</p>
<p>Between 1998 and 2012, there were 104 attempts to develop drugs for dementia of which 101 were unsuccessful. Just three new medicines were approved to treat the symptoms of dementia, the last – called memantine – over a decade ago.</p>
<p>Most worrying of all, despite the huge rewards on offer for a successful treatment, manufacturers are abandoning research into neuro-degenerative diseases because it is too difficult. In the last five years (2009-14) large pharmaceutical companies have cut their central nervous system programmes by half.</p>
<p>Many apparently promising compounds have been identified only to falter when tested in large-scale human trials. Some have been revealed to cause serious side effects. The history of failure, the long development times and the immense costs – from $0.5bn to over $5bn to develop a new drug – are deterring pharmaceutical companies from investing, according to the report by an expert panel to be presented at the World Innovation Summit for Health (Wish) in Doha, which I chair.</p>
<p>We cannot allow this to continue. The stakes are too high. Without effective treatments, the growth of dementia among ageing populations will overwhelm health and caring services and impose an impossible burden – social and financial – on future generations. The Wish report warns of a "global economic crisis."</p>
<p>The barriers to drug company involvement in research are currently too high. They face immense costs and huge risks and the regulations are too onerous. We need to lower the barriers to encourage new investment. Exploratory discussions have been held by the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency, but we need co-ordinated action across regulatory agencies to achieve real progress.</p>
<p>The World Dementia Council and the UK Dementia Innovation Unit are working on a plan aimed at identifying gaps in the science of dementia and regulatory changes that might help address them, thereby accelerating drug development.</p>
<p>One example is a plan under consideration by the European Medicines Agency for a "staggered release" programme, designed to get drugs to market faster by limiting their initial prescription to patients who urgently need them and are prepared to tolerate a higher risk. As evidence on their safety and effectiveness accumulates, the drugs can be released to more patients.</p>
<p>By November last year, the programme had received 29 applications from drug makers and nine had been selected for further discussion.</p>
<p>Bringing new funds into dementia research is vital. Leaders of the G8 countries agreed at the 2013 summit in Northern Ireland to increase resources and the UK government pledged to double its funding to £32m a year by 2025. But additional sources must be found.</p>
<p>Ideas include crowd funding (capitalising on fears about the disease among the middle classes), and venture capital models such as the Israeli Life Sciences Investment Fund where the Israeli government has agreed to take first loss to shield private investors from some of the risk.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://dementiachallenge.dh.gov.uk/category/wdc/" rel="nofollow">World Dementia Council</a> has asked JP Morgan, the investment bank, to create a $110m fund for basic research.</p>
<p>Resources are vital; without them we can do nothing. But they are only the start. Once we have the resources we must decide how they can be best used by identifying the most promising opportunities. A number of bodies are developing priorities for research including, in the UK, the <a href="http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/" rel="nofollow">Alzheimer's Society</a>, the <a href="http://www.lindalliance.org/" rel="nofollow">Lind Alliance</a> and the <a href="http://www.who.int/en/" rel="nofollow">World Health Organisation</a>.</p>
<p>The Wish report on dementia calls on governments to commit one per cent of the cost of care for sufferers in their own countries to research. We must hire more scientists, diversify our approach, cover gaps in research and identify opportunities. Without co-ordinated action the future of health systems will be under threat.</p>
<p><em>This article originally appeared on <a rel="canonical">guardian.co.uk</a></em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>This article was written by Ara Darzi from The Guardian and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.</em></p>
<p><img src="https://pixel.newscred.com/px.gif?key=YXJ0aWNsZT03YzE0NTI0MzkwOWNkZTFmMTFlNTY0ZDM0ZjM1ZDI4NSZwdWJsaXNoZXI9NzMwZWI4NmFiNTlmMGQ0MTkyNmFjNjViMDFmODNlMmY=" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1"></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/saving-normal-by-allen-frances-excerpt-2015-2" >How the medical profession turned normal aging into a disease</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/need-more-dementia-drug-research-2015-2#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/end-fall-demise-mayan-civilization-new-evidence-2015-1">Scientists Discovered What Actually Wiped Out The Mayan Civilization</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/this-is-the-perfect-way-to-sit-at-your-desk-2015-2This is the perfect way to sit at your deskhttp://www.businessinsider.com/this-is-the-perfect-way-to-sit-at-your-desk-2015-2
Thu, 26 Feb 2015 11:41:04 -0500Mike Nudelman
<p>Sitting all day at work is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sitting-bad-health-2014-4">dangerous</a>. So if you're like me, stubbornly refusing to try a trendy standing desk (or <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/treadmill-desk-experiment-2013-12">treadmill desk</a>!), then you may as well sit properly.</p>
<p>Fortunately, there are some <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/9-ways-to-turn-your-desk-into-the-ideal-workspace-2014-4">science-backed</a> tweaks to your desk set-up and posture that can dramatically improve your health and happiness. Though to ease your eyes and back, remember to still get up and walk around every so often.</p>
<p><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/54ef434a6da811c733f0c01b-1200-1770/the right way to sit at your desk.png" border="0" alt="The Right Way to Sit at Your Desk"></p><p><strong>FOLLOW US:&nbsp;<a href="https://instagram.com/bi_graphics/" >Business Insider Graphics is on Instagram</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/this-is-the-perfect-way-to-sit-at-your-desk-2015-2#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sarah-lewis-archers-paradox-success-job-2015-2">Here's what it takes to master any job — not just be good at it</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/doctor-recommended-drinks-day-men-women-2015-2This is why doctors recommend that women drink less than menhttp://www.businessinsider.com/doctor-recommended-drinks-day-men-women-2015-2
Thu, 26 Feb 2015 08:15:00 -0500Alex Kuzoian and Mike Nudelman
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<p>Most doctors suggest that men consume no more than two alcoholic beverages a day, while woman should only have one. So, why the difference? </p>
<p><em>Produced by Alex Kuzoian. Illustrations by Mike Nudelman.</em></p>
<p><strong>Follow BI Video:<em> </em></strong><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BusinessInsider.Video">On Facebook</a></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/doctor-recommended-drinks-day-men-women-2015-2#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/the-2015-guide-to-smoking-weed-legally-in-the-us-2015-2The 2015 guide to smoking weed legally in the UShttp://www.businessinsider.com/the-2015-guide-to-smoking-weed-legally-in-the-us-2015-2
Thu, 26 Feb 2015 00:02:00 -0500
<p>With recreational marijuana legal in Alaska and Washington, D.C., this week—and Oregon soon to follow—here's everything you need to know about current laws across the country.</p>
<p>Alaska joined the ranks of Colorado and Washington on Tuesday to become the third U.S. state to&nbsp;legalize&nbsp;recreational&nbsp;marijuana. Thanks to a voter-approved referendum last November, residents and visitors to the Last Frontier who are at least 21 can now smoke, grow and possess cannabis.</p>
<p>But retail shops selling pot products&nbsp;won’t open until the end of this year, creating a dicey landscape for law-abiding bud connoisseurs, as well as what you might call a toker’s paradox: Right now you can have an ounce of weed on you in public and up to six plants growing in your home, but you still can’t legally buy either anywhere. As far as the current law is concerned, the pot just appears in a poof like a genie.</p>
<p>At times, the&nbsp;intricate rules that govern recreational marijuana elsewhere can be similarly&nbsp;confounding. Like in Alaska, an adult in Colorado can grow up to six cannabis plants at home. But you&nbsp;can’t grow any in Washington state. And while the penalty for publicly consuming pot in Seattle is $27, it can reach $999 in Denver.<img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/54ee534feab8ea9e2da6b04c-620-915/colorado-3.png" border="0" alt="colorado weed" style="line-height: 1.5em;"></p>
<p>&nbsp;<img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/54ee54a0ecad0479203b355e-620-915/washington-4.png" border="0" alt="washington weed"></p>
<p><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/54ee54ce69bedd682d71bc37-620-915/alaska.png" border="0" alt="alaska weed"></p>
<p><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/54ee5525eab8ea0932a6b048-620-915/oregon.png" border="0" alt="oregon weed"></p>
<p><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/54ee554e6bb3f7d6052538ba-620-915/washingtondc.png" border="0" alt="washington DC weed"></p>
<p>Such&nbsp;quirks and variations in the law will likely increase as other places prepare to decriminalize pot. The&nbsp;measure&nbsp;to legalize marijuana in Washington, D.C., will take effect on Thursday, despite a brazen move by Congress to block the effort, which culminated in a stupefying&nbsp;procedural debate&nbsp;over the definition of the word “enact.” No retail marijuana shops will be allowed to open, but the District will permit people to possess, consume and grow marijuana (which they must illegally acquire).</p>
<p>And when Oregon embarks in July on&nbsp;its own&nbsp;recreational weed adventure, users will have its specific set of rules and limits to follow. All of the early experimentation will be closely followed by California, Massachusetts, Arizona, Vermont, Maine, and Missouri, all of which areexpected to follow suit&nbsp;on legalized&nbsp;pot by 2016.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-marijuana-affects-working-out-2015-1" >Marijuana's surprising effects on athletic performance</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-2015-guide-to-smoking-weed-legally-in-the-us-2015-2#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-headphones-tricks-2015-2">14 things you didn't know your iPhone headphones could do</a></p>